Stacking device for storage files



March 24, 1942. s. sCHElNMAN 2,277,155

STACKING DEVICE FOR STORAGE FILES MMA BY Y (l f yATTORNEY March 24, 1942. s. scHElNMAN 2,277,155

STACKNG DEVICE FOR STORAGE FILES Filed Feb. l21, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 2 BY x .f m-TRNEY Petented Mer. 24, .1942

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE 2,211,155 srAcxmG n'nvrca Fons'ronsca runs Sol Schelnman, White Plains, N. Y. Application February 21. 193s, serial No. 65,031

1': claims. (c1. :nz-111) The present invent-ion relates to storage nies, and more particularly to devices for holding stacks of such files in vertical and horizontal alignment.

It is an object oi the present invention to provide a simple and yet emcient stacking element' which can be employelin various ways to'hold storage illes in position 4one above the other and alongside of each other. It is also an object of the invention to provide a stacking element which. when-applied to hold two storage les in position one above the other, `can also be employed to interlock with a similar Aelement on an' tom edge of a superimposed casing to locktwo casings together, the clip thus cooperating with the stacking device to hold the casings against relativelliorizontal and vertical displacement. particularly when the topmost of a column oi files is being opened.

The invention will be further described with the aid oi' the accompanying drawings which illustrate a satisfactory embodiment oi! the inventicn. Insaid dra,

Fig. 1 is a front view of four illes arranged in y' two vertical columns and in twohorizontal ranks :ind showing my improved stacking device in posi- Fig. `2 is a view in perspective showing the stacking device in position at the front of two vertically disposed les, and showing also the I .cooperating clip at the rear of the casing.

at the top and at the bottom of a le to interelement, the stacking device permitting, adja cent stacks of illes to be brought substantially as close to each other as they could be in the absence of such stacking device.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a stacking device whchcan be used upon either side of a ille and at the top or bottom thereof so that but a single shape is required and only a single die is necessary, whereby the cost of manufacture is reduced to a minimum; to provide stacking devices having projections, ribs or lugs at their center which are adapted to interlock by movement toward each other in the horizontal plane and engage each other and prevent relative movement in the direction of a force tending to displace horizontally juxtaposed les relatively to each other in the direction of the side walls ofthe casings: to provide stacking devices which when mounted on horizontally juxtaposed les can be held against movement rin a direction perpendicular to the planes oi their vertical side walls with the aid of a' third element which interlocks said stacking devices; and to provide a clip device which isadapted to engage the top edge of on'e casing and the botlocking engagement.

Referring to Fig. 1., wherein are shown two-- Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the clip member along the line of Fig. 2; ,Fig. .4 shows a detachable form of clip member in perspective;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged iront view of two interlolcked stacking devices on adjacent columns of Fig.l 6 shows a section approximately along the line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 'l is a horizontal section along the line 'l-l of Fig, 5;

Fig. 8 shows a horizontal section along the line of Fig. d:

Fig. 9 is a view showing the stacking member in perspective, and

Fig. 10 shows an identical stacking member but rotated through 180 from the `position of the member shown in Fig. 9, the stacking members of Figs. 9-and 10 being thus in position for interadjacent vertical 'columns of files ill, id and Il, il which are arranged in two horizontal ranks I0, Il and ill, H, the numeral I8 indicates the casing of each of the illes which are adapted to receive a drawer member oi suitable construction. This drawer member is shown in the partly opened condition at i4 in Fig. 2 and may Le constructed in the manner described in my Patent No. 2,012,857. The front edges or margins of the casings I3 are provided with suitable reinforcing elements I5 which are adapted to take up, atleast in part, the vertical or compressive stress imposed on any4 casing by the weight of the casingsand their contents stacked above the same.

In the type of reinforced casingselected for purposes of illustration, the reinforcing members I are made of sheet metal having side portions |5a and I5b which lie against the outer and inner surfaces of the side walls of the casing and are provided with teeth Il struck from the body of such reinforcing members and pressed into the side walls o the casing, which may be, and preferably are made oi corrugated paper board. The members l5 are bent rearwardly intermediate the side portions I 5a and- |5b to provide open, vertically extending sockets I1 which are designed to receive the legs I8 of angular members I8 whose-intermediate portions are pivoted within metallic reinforcing .memberszo, 2|

clamped or otherwise secured to the top and bottom walls 22, 23 respectively, of the casing. These angular members I8 act to stiften the casing at the four corners thereof and hold the walls in the desired right-angular relationship. The legs I8 of. the top and bottom members I9 are preferably made suiliciently long so as to engage each other at their ends within the sockets I'I, so that such angular members are able to resist and transmit the vertical or compressive stresses and thus aid the reinforcing members I5. By this construction a very rigid and strong casing is provided.

The rear edges of the casing may likewise be provided with reinforcing members, as shown at 24, 25,26 and 21. These reinforcements may form part of a metallic end wall 28, as described more fully in my copending application. Ser. No. 14,518, now Patent Number 2,181,918, issued December 5, 1939.

The reinforcing members I5 at both sides of the front end of the casing are identical in construction and are provided with pairs of spaced open-ended socket or retaining members 28 and 30 which are preferably struck from the side portion I5a of such reinforcing members andv ent invention isshown on an enlarged scale in Figs. 9 and 10. It is composed of a central portion 32 and end portions 33 and 34 .which are narrower than the central portion 32 and are adapted to fit snugly within the socket or retaining members 23. 38. The central portion 32 is curved or bowed at its middle portion and is slotted as shown at 35 to provide three spaced and curved projections or ribs 38. The width of each of the two -slots 35 is slightly greater than that of the ribs 3B for reasons which will appear hereinafter.

As will be seen from Hg. 9, the middle portion of the part 32 begins at the right with a ribl 36 but ends at the left with an open slot 31. The latter is of substantially the same width as the slots 35. The construction is thus such that upon reversing one of the stackingmembers 3|, as seen in Fig. 10, the end rib 36 of one member will be received in the open slot 31 of the other member, and the two inner ribs of each member will be received within the slots 35 of the other member. The two identical stacking members shown in Figs. 9 and 10 can, therefore, be brought into complete overlapping and interlocking relationship with' the parts 33 and 34 of one member lying fiat against the part 33 and 34 of the other member, while the projections` .or ribs lie in substantially the same horizontal plane or level, being located. at substantially the central portion of the respective members. It will be seen that the interngering projections 35 lock each other against relative horizontal movement in a direction parallel to the planes of the vertical side walls of the casings.

As willbe clear from Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 6, each When it is desired to lock two vertical columns of casings to each other to prevent displacement of such columns with reference to each other in a direction perpendicular to the planes of the vertical side walls of the juxtaposed casings. the holding members 3| on laterally adjacent pairs of casings are positioned relatively to eachother in the manner shown in Figs. 9 and- 10, so that upon moving the columns towards each other in the horizontal direction, the ribs on the adjacent holding members 3| are caused to interengage in the manner above described. Due to the curvature of the ribs 36, there is provided a doubly convexly shaped channel 38 whose walls are formed by the alternating ribs of the two members 3|. In accordance with the-invention a suitable locking device, such as a pin 39, is inserted Within the channel 38 and operates to lock the two holding devices, 'and thus the two columns of casings. rigidly to each other. As will best be seen from Figs. l, 5 and 7, the holding members 3| are quite fiat in construction and do not cause any greater separation between the two adjacent columnsr than is made necessary bythe socket members 29 and 30. It will be noted that the curved rib portions 36 are located at the juncture of the four corners of the adjacent four casings, wherein ample space is present for receiving said portions. beevident that but a single die is necessary for manufacturing the members 3| since the same members can be used upon the left and upon the right side upon each column of casings, and also at the top and bottom of the casings. As already explained, it is necessary only to bring the stacking members upon the contiguous sides of adjacent columns of casings into the relative positions shown in Figs. 9 and l0 to enable one stacking member to be interlocked with an identical member. It will be noted that the adjacent, reversed, and interengaged stacking members are locked and held without play against movement in horizontal directions parallel to and normal to the casing side Walls: and also that in such interlocked condition the corresponding parts of the members, such as their upper and lower ends and the shoulders which engage the reinforcing members I5 are at the same horizontal level, so that rigid interengagement of the parts is assured. It will also be observed that, with the form of the invention illustrated, in reversing a stacking member with reference to a similar, adjacent, cooperating member, the first member is merely turned about its longitudinal axis with reference to the position of the other member.

The stacking or locking devices shown in Figs. 9 and l0 thus operate, as hereinabove explained,

It will also vention contemplates the. provision, for exam- '.ple, of a four-casing unit as shown in Fig. 1

wherein the casings are locked to each other not only against relative horizontal movement, but also against vertical tilting movement.

There is accordingly provided a holding de' vice B (see Figs. 2 and 3) which cooperates with the stacking devices 33 to lock any two of a column of casings against any substantial movement relatively to each other. The holding member l0 is in the form of a spring clip having a central portion di and two laterally extending spring tongues $2. In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 the clip is permanently secured to the rear edge of the top wall 22 of the casing, as by means of a rivet M. The distance between the inner surfaces of the tongues 62 is somewhat less than the combined thickness of the rear end portions of the contiguous top and bottom walls of superposed casings, so that when the clip is 'sprung over the bottom wall 23 o! a superposed casing, or rather when such wall is moved under the tongue Q2, the clip holds the two casings against vertical movement relatively to each other. To facilitate the engagement ci' the clip with the end oi the wall 22, the upper tongue S2 may be provided with an upwardly extending cam portion 53.

It will. be readily seen that by the aid of the clip :il the topmost or a column of casings is held against upward tilting upon opening of the drawer thereof. This is a decided advantage from the standpoint of safety as the vstorage files may be heavily loaded, and unless held'against tilting as hereinabove described, the drawer and evenits casing may be pulled ed the stack with possible injury to the person examining the les.

The clip ri, as shown in Fig. 4i, may be made .in the form oi an independent member which is sprung over the rear ends of superposed casings, the tongues l being in this case both iormed with cam portions t2.

if desired, the clip :iii may also be employed to clamp together the rear edges of the side walls oi horizontally adjacent casings.

It will be obvious that although in the preferred form of the invention described herein the stacking member 3i is constructed so as to be capable of being used upon either side of a casing and to be inter-locked with an identical meinber on an adjacent laterally disposed casing, difierently shaped members may be employed upon adjacent columns of casings while yet embodying certain of the advantageous features oi my invention. It will also be obvious that the members 3i vcan be employed without the-clip el, although to secure a completely rigid group of associated les and columns of casings the use of such clip is desirable.

While the stacking devices 3l can be so shaped construction which can be employed to engage anchoring devices or sockets at the contiguous corners of four storage les as shown in Fig. 1

It will be noted that with my improved stacking and interlockingmembers, a single file or a column of illes can readily be removed from a battery of interlocked les. Thus,` by removing the pins 39, a whole column can be' separated from an adjacent column; while with a slight vertical movement sulcient to enable its stack- A ing members -to clear their sockets, an intermediate file can be removed from a column of iiles.

I claim:

1. A stacking member for individual files adapted to be arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows, said member having end portions adapted to engage suitable anchoring means at the top of one casing and at the bottom of a superposed casing and having an intermediate portion composed of outwardly bent, spaced ribs, the spaces between the ribs being sumciently Wide to enable the ribs of a second similar member to interengage with the ribsof the aforementioned member, and means for limiting the movement that they serve only to hold the casings in alignof the stacking member with respect to the anchoring meansr at the top of the casing so as to position the spaced ribs for interi'lngering with the spaced ribs at a reversely positioned stacking member on an adjacent column of casings.

2; A stacking member as set forth in claim l, wherein the intermediate portion of the stacking member terminates at one side in a rib and at the other side is provided with a cutout corresponding in width to a rib, whereby oppositely facing, identically constructed stacking members can be`brought close to each other with their out-V lines in substantially complete coincidence and with their outwardly bent ribs in interlocking relation to hold adjacent vertical columns of illes against relative displacement in at least one direction.

3. ln combination, a le having a casing provided with a lateral socket element adjacent to the top wall thereof, and a stacking member having a lower portion adapted to be inserted within said socket element and an upper portion adapted to extend above the` upper edge of the casing and be received in a similar socket element adjacent to the bottom wall of a casing stacked above the first casing, said member including a wider, intermediate portion having shoulders extending laterally in the plane of the lower and upper porby the socket element at the bottom of the superposed casing so as to assist in transmitting the pressure from the upper to the lower casing through the socket elements. said stacking member having integral means shaped for interlocking engagement with similar means on a stacking member positioned on an adjacent column of I files for holding the columns against displacement in at least one direction.

4. In combination, a file having a casing provvided with a socket element adjacent to the top wall thereof, and a stacking member having a lower portion adapted to be inserted within said socket element and an upper portion adapted to extend above the upper edge of the casing and be received in a similar socket element adjacent to the bottom wail of a casing stacked above the rst casing, said member including an intermedate portion adapted to engage the socket element at the top of the first casingto limit the downward movement of the stacking member within said stacking element, and to be engaged by the socket element at the bottom of the superposed casing so as to assist in transmitting the pressure from the upper to the lower casing through the socket elements. said intermediate porton including a plurality of spaced ribs extending forwardly of the plane of the lower and upper portions and adapted, upon relative movement normal to said plane, to interengage with an oppositely facing stacking member on an adja-cent column of les to hold the column each stacking member being provided with intermediate, spaced outwardly curved ribs, the ribs on laterally adjacent stacking members interlocking with eachother to hold the adjacent columns of les against longitudinal displacement, and a pin passing through the space bounded by the interlocking ribs and acting to hold the columns against lateral movement, each stacking member having means for locating thevsame with reference to the superposed files so as to position the spaced ribs for interfingering with the ribs of the stacking member on the adjacent column.

6. A plurality of individual files each having a casing and drawer and arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows, each casing having socket elements at the front corners thereof, stacking members each detachably received within the socket element at the top corner of one casing and within the socket element at the bottom corner of the superposed c'asing and thus connecting two adjacent vertically stacked casings by way of such socket elements, said stacking members provided with projecting means which interlock upon horizontal movement of one' stacking member toward. the other and hold the vertical columns of casings against endwise displacement, each stacking member having means for so locating the same with reference to the superposed casings that the projecting means are positioned for engagement by the projecting portion of such device engaging the horizontallevel.

9. A stacking member for individual files arranged in vertical columns, said member being of elongate form and having end portions adapted to engage in the vertical direction within suitable anchoring means at the top of one casing and at the bottom of a superposed casing in a vertical column, and an intermediate portion wider than the end portions and providing shoulders for abutting engagement with the anchoring elements on the connected casings, said shoulders extending laterally of the end portions and lying in the planes of the latter, said intermediate portion including integral outwardly projecting` means adapted to interlock with a similar, reversed stacking member on an adjacent column of iiles to hold the two columns against relative displacement in at least one direction.

10. A stacking member for superposed individual file casings composed essentially of relatively weak material and provided with vertical metallic reinforcements secured upon the outer surfaces of the side walls of the casings and having vertically spaced sockets adjacent to their opposite ends, the stacking member being of elongate form and its end portions being adapted to be received within the adjacent sockets at the top of one casing and at the bottom of the superposed casing to hold the casings in alignment and being provided with intermediate upper and lower means on a stacking member on an adjacent column of casings.

7. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6 Vwherein the interlocking stacking members are an intermediate outwardly projecting portion shaped to interlock with the intermediate portion ofa reversely positioned identical stacking member upon movement of such members relatively laterally extending shoulders at the bases of such end portions and lying in the plane ot such portions and sospaced that they engage the reinforcements on the superposed casings in the vertical direction and thereby aid in transmitting the pressure from the upper to the lower casings.

11. A stacking member for superposed individual file casings, comprising an elongated member having flat end portions and an intermediate portion provided with projecting means, the end portions being adapted to be anchored in openended sockets at the adjacent corner portions of superposed file casings, said member having a shoulder intermediately of the ends thereof for engaging the edge of a wall of the socket on the lower of two superposed casings to limit the movement of the stacking member in such socket, the projecting means on said member being adapted to interlock in such fashion with the projecting means on an identical but reversely positioned stacking member for holding adjacent columns of a casing against relative horizontal movement, that the outlinesof the interengaged members are in substantial coincidence.' the interlocked members being so positioned that, in the operative condition, one is rotated relatively to the other by with reference to a verticalax1s.

12. A stacking member for superposed ille casings and the like comprising an elongated metallic member having end portions adapted to be anchored at the adjacent corner portions of superposed casings and provided with intermediate, integral projecting means adapted to interlock with the projecting means on an identical stacking member in a similarly upright position but rotated about its longitudinal axis by 180 with reference to the ilrst described member, to hold the adjacent columns of casings against relative movement in at lleast one horizontal direction.

13. In combination, adjacent columns of vertically stacked individual'iiles each composed of a collapsible drawer and a collapsible casing, the latter including hingedly connected side, top and.

bottom walls, anchoring elements secured to the top and bottom of the side walls of each casing in `vertically spaced relationship, an elongate both of the adjacent superposed side walls, and

separate means forA interlocking the stacking members onf adjacent columns to hold 'such co1- umns against lateral displacement, said means being detachable from the erected casings to enable a column of casings to be removed without disturbing theadjacent column of casings.

14. A plurality of individual files each having a casing and drawer and arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows, each casing having socket elements at the front corners thereof,

stacking members each detachably received within a socket element at the top corner of one casing and Within a socket element at the bottom `corner-'of the superposed casing and thus connecting two adjacent vertically stacked casings by Way of such socket elements, said stacking 'pmembers -provided with projecting means which interlock upon horizontal movement' of one stacking member towardv the other and hold the vertical columns of casings against endwise dislacemint, the stacking members being provided yalso with lower and upper abutments adaptedto be engaged by the socket elements at the top of a lower casing and the bottom oi an upper casing whereby the intermediate portions of the socket members provide vertically rigid pressure transmittingmeans from an upper to a lower casing.

15. A stacking member for individuall illes arranged in vertical columns, said member having end portions adapted to engage anchoring means at the top of one casing and at the bottom of a superposed casing, and having an intermediate outwardly projecting portion presenting a plurality of spaced ribs shaped to interfinger with the intermediate portion of a.I reversely positioned identical stacking member upon an adjacent column of les in such manner as to provide a space ing members together. i i

16. In combination, adjacent columns of vertically stacked individual les each composed. of

a casing and drawer, each casing having socket `elements at the front corner thereof, stacking `rnembers each detachably received within a socket element at the top corner of one casing and within a socket element at the bottom corner of the superposed casing and thus connecting two adjacent vertically-stacked casings, said stacking members provided with cooperating projecting" means, and a separate interlocking member adapted to'engage said projecting means of hori zontally adjacent stacking members to interlock the same.

, 17. In combination, a plurality of vertically stacked individual nies, each comprising a casing and a drawer movable therein, vertically ldisposed reinforcing members secured to the sides of each casing and located upon the outside thereof adjacent to their front vertical edges, socket elements at the top and bottom regions of the reinforcing members and providing sockets open both at the top and bottom ends thereof, an elongated stacking member having iiat end portions adapted to -pass through the socket at the top of a casing and through the socket at the bottom of a superposed casing and to extend beyond the remote ends of both sockets, said stacking member being provided atan intermediate portion' thereof with projecting means adapted to be interlocked with corresponding means on an identical but .oppositely facing stacking member connecting a pair of superposed casings on an adjacent column of illes, said stacking member being provided at its intermediate portion with a shoulder acting as al stop means adapted to engage the upper ed'ge of the socket element at the top of the lower casing to limit the downward movement of the stacking member and thereby properly position the projecting means on the intermediate portion with reference to the corresponding projecting means on an interlocking stacking member of an adjacent col umn.

for the reception of a pin for locking the stack- 

